Friday, 23 December 2011

People Roundup

David Tennant has recorded the audio version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, the sequel to the original book/film by Ian Fleming. The actor was chosen by the Fleming family, with his niece saying: "We are thrilled that David agreed to read the audio book. He is such a talented actor and his voice brings Frank Cottrell Boyce's story to life. Chitty could not have been in safer hands with him behind the wheel." Tennant also commented on the accompanying audio interview: "The idea of a flying car is hard to better. I think we would all love to have a car that would take off, escape the traffic and fly you to any country in the world."[BBC News, Press Association, 21 Dec 2011]

Steven Moffat talks about his immediate future with Doctor Who: "I genuinely haven’t got a plan, except I'll probably have to stop at some point or I'll die. And dying would be bad. But my main concern is not so much how long I do it, but that I absolutely, definitely am going to be handing it on to somebody else. I want it to be in great shape, and some day I want somebody else to come in and knock my socks off with what they do with it. You don't want to be the last person in the relay race, do you?"[The Scotsman, 20 Dec 2011]

Bill Bailey reflects on watching Doctor Who as a child: "My grandparents lived with us, and I remember watching Doctor Who with my granddad on his new telly. These were the days before remote controls but my granddad, being quite a resourceful sort of chap, had fashioned his own remote control – which was a length of bamboo pole with a bit of cork that he’d glued on the end."[Telegraph, 22 Dec 2011]

Alexander Armstrong cites Matt Smith as his (now) favourite Doctor: "He has such tremendous charisma, he has such an extraordinary face and voice and his manner ... everything about him, I think. He's perfect, spot on!"[Telegraph, 23 Dec 2011]

On being asked if she'd like to be in Doctor Who, actress Helen Mirren commented: "I would like to play the new female Doctor Who. I don’t want to just be his sidekick."[Daily Star, 20 Dec 2011]

The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe

The guest stars give their views on being in the festive adventure:

Arabella Weir: "I was genuinely surprised and completely thrilled. I must confess, though, that this is not because I’ve been a Doctor Who fan since childhood. I don’t subscribe to the Doctor Who magazine and we’ve only got the normal amount of Doctor Who fridge magnets. That said, I do love the show - my kids and I have watched it religiously since its return. And I did watch it as a child, completely terrified out of my wits, accompanied by my braver, older brothers who marvelled at the horrifying monsters while I cowered in the corner of the sofa, occasionally peeping over the top of a cushion. The real reason I was thrilled was because it’s such a fantastic show, brilliantly written and produced, and here they were, wanting me to be part of it! I instantly said yes, without even reading the script. When I did finally read it, I got even more excited since it turned out I was to play an alien from the future alongside Bill Bailey and would get to wear a proper, full-on, metal-with-flashing-lights alien outfit and hold a shiny gun!"[Telegraph, 22 Dec 2011]

Alexander Armstrong: "I'm acting with Claire Skinner in a little World War II setting - it's a very sweet Christmas story, very nice, very touching, very stirring - very exciting indeed! I'm really pleased to have got in, particularly while Steven (Moffat)'s in his pomp. It's a sort of 'purple patch' of Doctor Who and it's lovely to be right in there!"[Digital Spy, 22 Dec 2011]

Bill Bailey: "When I arrived at the set, it was quite breathtaking ... this beautiful forest, decked out in snow – it looked amazing. And then us as forest space farmers clanging around, it was such fun. It was a juxtaposition of all that is the essence of Doctor Who for me."[Telegraph, 22 Dec 2011]